Chapter 22: Where’s My Reward?
Her eyes were filled with a possessive light. Her every step exuded an effortless grace. Her smile… it was a smile that could make one forget all the ugliness in the world.
From the moment she had arrived, her attention had been solely focused on Adele. Nothing else mattered, nothing else even registered in her field of vision.
She was asking, pleading almost, to be included in their little game.
Adele’s heart pounded in her chest, a thin sheen of sweat forming on her back.
*This is bad… This is really bad…*
If she didn’t respond, and quickly, Dorothy would throw a tantrum. A tantrum with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Dorothy… a girl who lived for her games, a vampire princess who collected prized possessions, and right now, Adele was her favorite toy.
So, before she lost her patience, before she decided to break her toys…
“…Of course,” Adele stammered, her teeth chattering despite the warmth of the hallway. “Please… join us, Your Highness.”
It was the only way, the only hope she and Linlang had.
“You’re the best, Adele!” Dorothy squealed, her excitement palpable. It was the kind of unrestrained joy that suggested she hadn’t experienced true fun in a very, very long time.
She might have had the demeanor of a playful child, but her body… well, let’s just say that if Hermione was a snow-capped mountain, then Dorothy was a smoldering volcano.
She was slightly taller than Adele, with curvier figure and a ridiculously tiny waist. Today, she was wearing a simple yet elegant red velvet slip dress, devoid of any unnecessary embellishments. The only concession to her usual flamboyant style was the way one of the straps was carelessly dangling off her shoulder, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of smooth, porcelain skin.
“What are we playing? Tell me, tell me!” She bounced on the balls of her feet, her excitement bubbling over as she practically pranced towards Adele.
Adele swallowed nervously, instinctively reaching out to grip Tang Linlang’s arm, seeking comfort, grounding. It was a mistake.
Dorothy’s gaze flickered to Linlang, her expression turning glacial, her steps faltering. She tilted her head to the side, her pink pigtails swinging like pendulums, her gaze unsettling, almost predatory.
Adele instantly released Linlang’s arm, her heart pounding even harder.
As if satisfied, Dorothy straightened her head and resumed her approach, the playful light returning to her eyes.
*She’s so easy to read…*
Dealing with her wouldn’t be so difficult, as long as you knew how to handle her. The problem was, everyone was too terrified of incurring her wrath to even try.
Adele’s mind raced as she struggled to come up with an answer, an acceptable game. “We’re playing… a game about defeating bad guys,” she finally said, hoping it would suffice.
“Bad guys? Who?” Dorothy’s gaze swept over Tang Linlang, lingering a beat too long, making the other girl shrink back.
Thinking quickly, Adele pointed at the stunned Sequence Three vampire. “Her,” she said. “She’s the bad guy.”
“B-Bad guy? N-No! Your Highness, it’s not me! I’m not the bad guy!” The Sequence Three vampire, who had been so smug and arrogant just moments ago, was now a blubbering mess, fear turning her voice into a pathetic squeak.
“Please… please spare me!”
“How annoying.” Dorothy’s voice turned cold, bored even. It was the voice of a queen, no longer amused by her subject’s pleas.
The Sequence Three vampire instantly fell silent, tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t known the Princess would be here. She hadn’t considered the consequences of her actions, of giving in to her petty desire to punish Adele.
All she had wanted was to teach that half-blood a lesson, to leave a mark… just one! And then, she would have dealt with that Tang girl.
Why… Why was the Princess so protective of a mere toy? It made no sense!
Dorothy sauntered over to where the Sequence Three vampire was kneeling, gracefully gathering her skirts as she crouched down, her gaze like that of a scientist examining a particularly intriguing insect.
If she had a magnifying glass, she would have used it.
“How… unpleasant,” she finally declared, her tone laced with a delicate disgust.
“Such a boring game. Let’s end it, shall we?”
Her words were light, almost flippant, but the underlying threat was clear.
And as if on cue, the Sequence Three vampire let out a bloodcurdling scream, her body contorting in pain as a vision, unsolicited and horrifying, invaded her mind.
She was staring into an abyss, a bottomless chasm shrouded in darkness. From its depths, a pair of pale, clawed hands emerged, effortlessly snatching her precious familiar, dragging it into the darkness.
Then came the sound of crunching bones, of flesh tearing, a symphony of grotesque sounds that sent shivers down her spine.
The vision shifted, and she realized that those clawed hands weren’t confined to the abyss. They were everywhere, stretching out from the darkness, countless hands reaching for her, their touch promising unimaginable pain.
And those pulsating sacs, those grotesque, breathing things… they were everywhere, covering the ground, the walls, the very air she breathed.
*No… It can’t be…*
………………
Losing a familiar was a crippling blow for a vampire, especially one who relied on their connection to otherworldly beings for power. It was a mark of shame, a reason to withdraw from society, to disappear from the public eye.
Ironically, Dorothy was one such vampire. She, too, drew her power from a pact with an otherworldly entity.
Vampires, based on their abilities, were broadly categorized into four types: Familiars, Elementals, Somatics, and Espers.
Hermione was clearly an Elemental, wielding ice and snow with a grace and precision that rivaled that of the most skilled human mages. Adele, based on what little she had demonstrated so far, appeared to be an Esper.
As for what her esper ability might be… well, for now, it seemed to be “having exceptionally sweet blood.” Because honestly, she hadn’t displayed any other notable talents. She had no familiar to draw power from, no affinity for the elements, and her physical abilities were… lackluster, to say the least, unlike those vampires who specialized in physical combat.
Which, by default, made her an Esper.
“The game’s over, Adele,” Dorothy announced, her voice cheerful as she skipped over to where Adele was standing, frozen in place.
“I made Azathoth eat the bad thing, but now… now I’m sad.” She pouted, burying her face in the crook of Adele’s neck, inhaling deeply, her breath tickling Adele’s sensitive skin.
“Hmm… You smell so good…”
“…”
Adele, despite having read the original novel, despite knowing what to expect, couldn’t help but feel a wave of apprehension wash over her. This was Dorothy, for crying out loud! The terrifying final boss, the ultimate antagonist who had stood toe-to-toe with the protagonists in the final battle!
And Azathoth… well, that was her familiar.
Adele wouldn’t put it past the author to have simply copied the name from somewhere else. Because that name… it belonged to one of the most powerful entities in the Cthulhu Mythos.
Azathoth, the Blind Idiot God, the Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan, the Supreme Archetype, the Ruler of All Things!
It was as if the author had slapped a giant, neon sign on Dorothy’s forehead that screamed, “Most Powerful Antagonist Ever!” And honestly? It was accurate. Except for a few specific moments, Dorothy was practically invincible, existing on a whole other level compared to everyone else.
*Seriously, why couldn’t you have chosen to be the protagonist in some other overpowered novel? Why did you have to come to this one and torment this poor, defenseless girl?*
Adele wanted to cry.
And as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Dorothy suddenly leaned in close, her lips brushing against Adele’s ear.
“I won the game, Adele,” she whispered, her voice a seductive purr. “I won.”
“So…”
—“Where’s my reward~?”